Instant Escapes: Wintery Tallinn

The brilliant museums and galleries of Estonia's capital have made it one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture for 2011. Add it to your fantasy weekend list

The Lower Town, Tallinn, draped in snow - visit when the crowds have disappeared (Photolibrary)

What to see and do

*Look down on everyone from castle-topped Toompea Hill, as the city’s foreign
former rulers used to do. The Upper Town, as it’s called, has viewing
platforms with photogenic vistas over the Lower Town’s snow-capped
terracotta roofs, turrets and towers. Pick of the bunch for Medievalists is
Patkuli platform: from Kohtuotsa platform, you can see the thrusting new
towers of the modern districts as well.

* The Gothic architecture of the Lower Town is even fairer to behold at street
level, with cobbled lanes and squares made for idle ambling; you
might want to follow the tourist board’s nifty audio guide (00 372 655 6633;
download at www.audioguide.ee;
£3.40). In the courtyards off the main streets, you’ll find craft studios,
boutiques and off-the-beaten-track places to eat and drink.